tomato

noun

to·​ma·​to tə-ˈmā-(ˌ)tō 

chiefly in Britain, eastern New England, northeastern Virginia, and sometimes elsewhere in cultivated speech

-ˈmä- 

 chiefly in Northern US  -ˈma-

plural tomatoes

1

: the usually large, rounded, edible, pulpy berry of an herb (genus Solanum) of the nightshade family native to South America that is typically red but may be yellow, orange, green, or purplish in color and is eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable

2

: a plant that produces tomatoes

especially : any of various varieties of a tender perennial (Solanum lycopersicum synonym Lycopersicon esculentum) widely cultivated as an annual

How is tomato pronounced?: Usage Guide

The original pronunciation of this Spanish loanword was with stressed \ä\, as was also the case for potato. The older \ä\ pronunciation of potato is found in Robert Burns' poem "Holy Willie's Prayer" and persists in some Scottish dialects. Perhaps because potato has been part of English longer than tomato, its pronunciation has been anglicized in most dialects, with the stressed \ä\ vowel becoming \ā\, like the a in Plato (from Greek) and dado (from Italian). The pronunciation of tomato began the same journey of anglicization but was halted halfway between, so that British and some Eastern American dialects have the older \ä\ while the others have the newer \ā\. Tomato, being the name of a New World plant, might have entered the English language first in the Americas, where it would have had more time to undergo anglicization in American mouths. The various pronunciations of tomato are all acceptable in standard English.

Examples of tomato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Guests feasted on pizza, pasta, and gelato, and sipped on Aperol spritzes and Lambrusco from local winery Tomato Wheels, before leaving with a bottle of Rao's tomato sauce. —Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Similar to a tomato sandwich, the most basic of banana sandwiches call for just soft white bread, banana slices, and mayonnaise. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025

The tomato pie and lemon bars come highly recommended by regular customers. —Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2025

Parcels for families will likely include sunflower oil, white sugar, basmati rice, cans of tomato paste, a liter of olive oil, pasta, a can of tahini, feta cheese, dates, tea bags, and two cans of corned beef. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier tomate, from Spanish, from Nahuatl tomatl

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tomato

• beefsteak tomato
• cherry tomato
• husk-tomato
• plum tomato
• strawberry tomato
• tomato fruitworm
• tomato hornworm
• tomato ketchup
• tree tomato

Rhymes for tomato

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

tomato

noun

to·​ma·​to tə-ˈmāt-ō 

also

-ˈmät- 

plural tomatoes

1

: a usually large rounded red or sometimes yellow pulpy berry that is eaten as a vegetable

2

: a widely grown South American plant of the nightshade family that produces tomatoes

Etymology

derived from Spanish tomate "tomato," from the name for this plant in the ancient language of the Aztecs